Key Takeaways
- Apple is making SharePlay and FaceTime even more useful with improvements to SharePlay.
- Improved screen sharing via FaceTime makes remote tech support easier.
- New features include drawing on the screen and requesting controls, and require iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS 15 Sequoia operating systems.
As a Pocket-lint reader, I know there’s a good chance you’re the “techie” in your family. Trust me, I know the feeling. As the go-to tech support person in my circle, few things are more frustrating than trying to explain to people how to troubleshoot device issues over the phone. I always say there’s a reason I moved to work in an Apple Store instead of Apple Support; it’s frustrating and difficult to explain what to do while visualising what the other person is seeing on the other end of the phone.
Luckily, if you find yourself in that situation like I did, Apple is making some welcome improvements to SharePlay and FaceTime in iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15 Sequoia that will make remote tech support a lot easier.
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SharePlay Improvements
Request, Render, and Control
SharePlay is a feature that exists today that lets you share your device’s screen via FaceTime. New in Apple’s upcoming fall OS release is the ability to invite others to share, draw, and request control of your screen. This is a big improvement for anyone who needs to provide remote tech support to family and friends. For these new features to work, all included devices must be running iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS 15 Sequoia.
At the time of writing, these FaceTime improvements are only available in beta and aren’t fully functional yet. During testing, we weren’t able to remotely control the device’s screen, or, if you’re using macOS, even draw on another device, but we’re sure Apple will iron out these bugs before the general public release. Still, until then, these features aren’t working entirely as intended.
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How to Share Your Device’s Screen in FaceTime
Share your screen by requesting sharing
When you’re on a FaceTime call with someone, you can request to share your screen by following these steps:
- Tap Share.
- Tap Ask to share.
- Get the other person to tap Share On your device when prompted.
Alternatively, you can share your screen by following these steps:
- Tap Share.
- Tap Share your screen.
After a three-second countdown, you’ll see the other person’s screen, where you can tap to draw a circle to visualize where they need to go, or use your finger, Apple Pencil, or pointer to draw an arrow, circle, or other icon, depending on your device.
While sharing, you’ll see two new buttons: a magnifying glass and a pointing finger. The magnifying glass adjusts the size of the shared screen to make it easier for viewers to see, and the pointing finger icon asks the other person for permission to control their device remotely.
Permissions are granted on a per-screen share basis and must be confirmed every time you share your screen.
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